Read and Discover, Together

Balloons Over Broadway: The Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade. Living in the Northeast, the Macy's Parade was a highlight of our Thanksgiving Day morning; almost as important as putting the turkey in the oven. I picked up the book displayed on the non-fiction shelf, thumbed through, and placed it in our library bag to be checked out. I couldn’t wait to introduce my children to a family tradition.

When we arrived home an eager, curious little learner retrieved the book from the bag. "Mom, let's read this one!" 

We did! Amazing! I learned the back story about the balloons I marveled as I child. In the process of reading one of our newest library finds, I was able to tell my children about one of our favorite holiday traditions—watching the Macy's Day Parade while smells of cinnamon and roasting turkey permeated our home. A slice of family tradition and a delightful piece of American history served up during read-aloud time. It couldn’t be a more perfect combination and it led to amazing conversation and additional studies.

• Learn about parade history, including behind the scenes

• About Tony Sarg, puppeteer

• Make puppets 
  
  Extension activities:

• Learn more about New York City

• Read A Walk in New York by Salvatore Rubbino

• Read The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden

• Perform a puppet show (using sock, finger, hand, or mixed media puppets) to entertain family and friends

• Experiment with shadow puppets

• Visit a local marionette theater

When Learning Doesn't Have a Paper Trail

Learning is often measured in paper. Thirty-problem speed drills. Handwriting practice sheets. Chapter tests. Lab reports. Paragraph summaries. In and of themselves, these items aren't terrible or wrong. They have their place. However, valuable learning also takes place when there are no visible, tangible traces, especially when teaching young children.

Last spring, we had one of those weeks where significant educational progress was made but not all our activities could not be measured in paper. Our experiences were stellar and our children talked about them with joy and amazing recall. They were life-impacting and applicable. Learning took place, but we didn't have sheets and sheets of paper to prove our efforts. Here’s a glimpse into some of the learning fun we had during the course of the week.

• reviewed number recognition, numbers 1-75, while playing BINGO with great-grandma

• sorted, counted, and rolled coins (collected in the family change jar for our anticipated family night out)

• played the Pizza Fraction Fun game several times and then the younger children cared the pieces off to play “restaurant”

• weighed potatoes and onions on a kitchen scale and compared the weights

• made figures with tangrams (geometry)

• played Scrabble with older learners for spelling

• wrote letters (olders wrote their spelling words) on the driveway with sidewalk chalk

• retold a story we heard someone else tell and then discussed how point of view and experiences determine potential bias

• read three picture books: Blueberries for Sal, Caps for Sale, and The Raft

• read a recipe, followed directions, and measured ingredients

• listened to Jim Weiss stories on CD

• spelled three- and four-letter short vowel words on a whiteboard

• listened to The Tale of Two Cities and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (audio books enjoyed by older learners)

• reviewed state abbreviations while driving to grandma's house

• watched bees pollinate flowers

• assembled a floor puzzle of the United States

• listened to me read Meet the Pilgrim Fathers by Elizabeth Payne to the youngest learners

• learned body systems and their functions while listening to Lyrical life Science: Human Body

• discussed the nutritional content of three types of cereal by comparing labels; discussion of fats, sugar, and minerals

• cared for the neighbor's dogs and evenly distributed the money earned with the children who participated

Children were engaged. Learning occurred. There was not a traditional paper trail for these activities. Much of the evidence resided in the minds of my children.

How did we document our learning?

We kept a resource list of books we read, recorded the activities on our log, and took pictures of the whiteboard, tangram creations, games, and completed puzzle.

What I loved most about our week was that we learned together. We were relaxed and enjoyed our conversations. As I read, the children asked questions and we added to our vocabulary. When we needed to be outside, we went. There was joy.

Our learning was

Intentional. Real. and Relational.

And, it mattered.

Kindergarten at Home: What Little Learners Need

The Kindergarten year lays the educational foundation for life and learning.

In fact, it is during the Kindergarten year that little learners get their “first taste” of “school”. What they think about “school” and who they are as a learner is developed from their experiences in this first year. That’s weighty to me, but also freeing—so you are not alone if that hits you hard. Keep reading, there’s help and freedom in this decision.

There’s freedom in choosing what’s best for your family from the buffet of choices.

Kindergarteners  master foundational skills which serve as a knowledge base for the years and skills to come. Included in that foundation are the attitudes toward learning.  If the days and the education in those days are rushed—pushed—learning becomes burdensome, uninteresting, and often irrelevant. When learning flows naturally from that which is real and relational—interesting and personal—joy and wonder fuel their unending curiosity.

A love of learning is nurtured and begins with the items and people little learners love most.

I reminisce over the years we’ve spent with our Kinders. There’s been eight of them. I also taught K4s prior to coming home with my own. For my first-hand experience, I know these years can be fun, soul-nurturing, and satisfying. Here’s a peek into how we’ve done Kindergarten.

Nurture Curiosity. We purpose to give our children the gifts of investigation, experimentation, and discovery. In our home, Kindergarten science is hands-on. At different points during the year we

• observe caterpillars change to butterflies (you can order them online or plant a small portion of milkweed in a bed outside your home.

• purchase an ant farm (again online)

• dig holes outside and allow use of water, PVC pipe, small rocks, and anything needed to build dams, lakes, and pretend sinkholes

• plant seeds and grow beans

• watch bird behavior—building nests, flight patterns, listen and identify bird calls

• go hang out by the lake to feed ducks and fish, catch and release minnows

• go to the beach and find treasures and critters,collect and identify shells

• find tadpoles and watch them change to frogs

• build forts

• play in puddles

• observe different spider webs

• use magnifying glasses and our Magiscope

We check out books from the library on whatever topics we’re learning about (this doesn’t stop at Kindergarten). We also purchase resources and build our home library. The books fuel the curiosity. In our home, Kindergarten science is relaxed, real, engaging, and open-ended—meaning we dig in as deep as we want into any interest. In the end, science concepts well beyond Kindergarten are learned and retained. This has served all abilities well—learning challenged to gifted—and works well when teaching multiple-age children.

Nurture the Mind. This is closely related to and interweaves with nurturing curiosity. One of the reasons we decided to homeschool centered around how individual I knew learning could be and how that individualization could foster thinking, not matter what the age or ability of the child. Nurturing the mind can happen while playing (PLAY is super important in the early years), while engaged in conversation (littles NEED us to listen to their ideas and feelings), or while pondering open-ended questions (questions which cannot be answered with yes or no). Little learners are natural questioners. They wonder what will happen next, how things happen, and when things will happen. It is in this inquisitiveness that they learn how life and people work, interact, and interrelate. Questioning is one of the most important life skills parents can foster and nurture. Mike and I foster inquisitiveness with commentaries and questions which invite our children to do the same. 

• I wonder how the (insert animal) stays warm.

• What comes next in the sequence?  

• I wonder if (insert item) will work better with this or that.

• What do you think will happen next?

• I wonder where that trail leads.

• Let's watch the (insert animal). I wonder what it will do next. 

• How long do you think it will take to ...?

Nurture Physical Development. The park was our friend. Children need to run, skip, pump swings, climb rock walls. They need to move. Their bodies are still growing and developing essential muscle ability. Because the body develops from the center to the limb, a strong core is vital. I reminded myself when my children wanted to learn to spell their names, that core development influenced their ability to do so.

Part of why we decided to homeschool rested on the knowledge that I could give my children whatever they needed concept wise and not rob them of time to play. We use a solid math curriculum and we keep moving forward, meaning we sometimes need the first grade level. We don’t spend more than 20 mins at the table at at a time and provide interesting "math tools" to investigate, experiment with, and learn to use.

• kitchen scale

• tape measure

• ruler

• yardstick

• outside thermometer

• measuring cups and spoons

• a funnel

• bathroom scale (weights more than people, smile!)

• shape stencils

• protractors

In addition, the child’s piggy bank provides a great meaningful (children want to know how much money they have) resource to learn coin recognition; counting by ones, fives, and tens; and adding. We add engaging math-based picture books where we are able.

Outside of math, we

Read aloud. Reading aloud has been one of the most rewarding activities we've done in our more than years of teaching and parenting littles—picture books, biographies, non-fiction wonders. Each title opens opportunities for setting a template for the English language, building vocabulary, bolstering listening skills, understanding parts of a story, retelling events, the list goes on. Interestingly, there have been times when our little learners are seemingly off in their own world—playing, stacking blocks, coloring—while I read and yet, hours later, they remember EVERY word. So, as you embark on the read aloud journey, I encourage you to read, even when you think your learners are not engaged or paying attention. They are listening. Your reading matters!

The goal was to read aloud, everyday: one picture book, one science-related book (generally from what they were interested in or what we were observing and studying), and one biography or history-related book.

I made sure I left time for pretend play.

Pretend play. Littles learn by imagining and doing, by role playing and creating dialogue in relaxed and uninterrupted environments. Pretend play utilizes the senses and engages the mind, building language and thinking skills. Beginning in the toddler years, littles can be found feeding baby dolls, talking on pretend telephones, playing store, and mixing marvelous meals in a play kitchen. This continues through Kindergarten. What's needed? Props! Some of our favorite pretend play items have been:

• calculators, adding machines, and toy cash registers

• dress up clothes and hats, backpacks and purses

• fabric pieces, scarves, or old costumes

• aprons, chef hats, pretend food, and dishes

• stuffed animals and dolls

• receipt books, stickers, and play money

• old telephones, computer keyboards, and monitors

• puppets and make-shift card table theaters 

When the afternoon boredom sets in, I allow my children to utilize our art supplies or play games. You can read about how we built and organized our art supplies. Our favorite learning games are listed here. While creating art or playing games, littles practice turn taking with supplies, deferment to another person, waiting for others to make decisions or complete a turn, as well as a multitude of cognitive skills.

We want our Kindergarteners to know they matter—their thoughts, their ideas, their feelings, their development.

One of the best things about homeschooling is we get to do life together.

Do life together. One of the things I love about parenting Kindergarteners is watching their faces light up—indoors and outdoors, around the home, and on vacation.

• Getting the mail might lead to a conversation about stamps, addresses, states, or modes of transportation.

• Setting the table teaches one-to-one correspondence.

• Folding laundry offers opportunities to make fractional parts by folding in half and in half again.

• Matching shoes and sorting toys provides real-life situations for identifying similarities and differences.

• Making together, kitchen experiences: measuring, comparing, weighing (math skills) as well as muscle skills, scrubbing potatoes, stirring, and kneading together. Doing life together allows preschoolers to learn alongside. 

Every moment is a marvel, especially when Kindergarten learners are engaged in doing life with those they love.

Kinders are relational. They want to engage in face-to-face conversation and hand-in-hand exploration. When we talk to our children, listen to their questions, concerns, and ideas, we model interpersonal skills and they learn how to process information, feelings, and emotions. These skills are some of the most valuable nuggets our little learners will internalize in their early years. 

We purpose Kindergarten to be natural, engaging, and personal. We don’t spend extended time sitting at tables or face-to-face with workpages and fill-in the blanks. We want learning to be meaningful and relaxed, an extension of life, not segmented or overly scheduled.

Kindergarten may not look the same for you or your family. It’s part of the freedom you have to do what you feel is best needed for your children. Read and learn what’s out there, but spend most of your time observing, learning about, and enjoying nurturing your child. You will be surprised at the gains—cognitively, socially, emotionally, and physically.

Kindergarten is a gift.

Best to you as you unwrap that gift.

Kindergarten Skills

YOU can homeschool Kindergarten.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Kindergarten at home doesn’t have to look like Kindergarten in a traditional school for learners to make progress.

• Being “ahead in Kindergarten” doesn’t mean the child will be ahead by third grade.

• Mastering skills doesn’t take as long when homeschooling one-on-one.

Kindergarten Skills

Math

• Count objects in a group to twenty

• Associate a number with a quantity

• Identify more than and less than to ten (quantity)

• Identify more than and less than to twenty (quantity)

• Number words through twenty (one, two, three, four, and so on)

• Understand that numbers eleven to nineteen represent tens and extra ones

• Create a pattern with two, three, and four objects

• Understand the concept of addition as adding two or more groups to get a sum total of all objects

• Understand meaning of “all together”

• Understand concept of subtraction as beginning with a large group and taking some away

• Add sets with one to five members

• Associate the action of adding two or more groups with a symbolic (equation) representation

• Solve word problems

• Count by one from a number other than one

• Count to 100 by tens

• Make positional statement about the location of an object: above, under, left, right, front, back

• Name common shapes and the side associated with each

• Understand difference between two- and three-dimensional shapes

• Recognize coins

• Associate coin with a value

• Write the numerals in the phone number

Language Arts

• Recognize upper and lower case letters

• Writing upper and lower case letters

• Match letters to sounds

• Recognize the beginning sound of a word

• Recognize the ending sound of a word

• Blend sounds

• Recognize rhyming words

• State a word which rhymes with another word.

• Recognize common sight words: a, the, and, to

• Understand the role of author and illustrator

• Move eyes across a page from left to right

• Explore different genres (fables, rhymes, tongue twisters, biographies, fantasies)

• Make a prediction

• Tell a story

• Retell a story

• Understand cause and effect

• Put pictures in a proper sequence

• Answer questions related to something heard read aloud

• Understand the first word of a sentence is capitalized

• Understand first letters of names and places are capitalized

• Understand that sentences have punctuation

• Engage in a conversation

• Spell first and last name

• State street address and city of residence

• Name the members of the family and state two sentences about each member

• Name the days of the week, in order

Social Studies

• Expose to differences in cultures and traditions

• Understand how past influences present and future

• Understand family culture and heritage

• Understand the background and significance of holidays

• Understand meaning of recycle, reuse, repurpose

• Develop map skills (north, south, east, west)

• Name and locate state and country of residence

• Name the continents

• Learn the difference between maps and globes

• Explain how to get to a destination visited frequently (local grocery store, navigate neighborhood to get home)

• Understand difference between land and water

• Recognize landforms (lake, stream, river, ocean, mountain, hill, plain)

• Learn about different types of shelters or homes

• Learn the roles of community workers

• Learn roles in sharing and taking turns

• Understand importance of conflict resolution

Science

• Learn personal safety - wear a bike helmet, bike on the right side of the road, supervision with sharp objects)

• Identify major body parts and describe their action and function

• Identify the five senses

• Name the four seasons and corresponding characteristics

• Observe weather changes

• Identify and describe daily weather

• Describe differences in day and night sky

• Describe differences in nightly changes of the moon

• Understand differences in characteristics of ocean, desert, mountain habitats

• Investigate and observe characteristics of soil, rock, and water

• Understand differences of living and non-living things

• Observe local plants and animals

• Understand and explain differences between plants and animals

• Describe and identify basic parts of a plant

• Observe behaviors of animals and describe how those behaviors are related to their environment

• Explain the difference between insects, fish, mammals, and birds

• Describe items in terms of which they are made (cloth, wood, plastic, paper)

• Name the physical features of items in terms of color, texture, shape, size

• Observe changes in matter (beaten egg whites, popped corn, ice cream)

• Understand properties and uses of water in gas, solid, and liquid form

• Understand terms and conditions of sink and float

• Understand why magnets are attracted to objects

• Make predictions

• Make observations

• Explain a process

Physical Education

• Increase flexibility and muscle strength

• Understand the health benefits of being physically active

• Participate in cardiovascular activities

• Play follow the leader

• Participate in the Hokey Pokey

• Climb stairs, alternating feet

• Balance on one foot

• Balance on a beam or line

• Walk backwards

• Run at different speeds, stop on command

• Jump

• Hop on one foot

• Skip

• Gallop

• Kick a ball

• Dance to a rhythm

• Understands safety precautions for familiar sports equipment

• Throw a ball overhand

• Throw a ball underhand

• Throw a ball at a target

Art/Music

• Explore elements of art: line, shape, color, texture, space)

• Develop art vocabulary

• Hold a paint brush properly

• Experiment with brush movements

• Understand proper use of glue sticks and bottles

• Understand proper care of art supplies (paint brushes, paper, paint, glue)

• Clean up art area properly

• Understand safe handling and use of child-friendly scissors

• Cut in a straight line

• Cut on a curved line

• Understand and name primary colors

• Know which primary colors (red, blue, yellow) can be mixed to make secondary colors (green, purple, orange)

• Experiment with various art mediums

• Create a sculpture with found materials

• Describe etiquette for an art museum

• Make observations of visual art

• Keep a steady beat

• Recognize differences in tempo, fast and slow (lullaby, march)

• Recognize differences in dynamic (loud and soft)

• Recognize difference in pitch (high and low—drums, piccolo, violin, bass)

• Identify basic instruments

• Listen for specific instruments in a composition

• Listen to music and describe tempo, dynamics, and sounds heard

• Experiment with singing voice

• Experiment with kazoo, recorder, harmonica, or tin whistle

• Move to music

• Describe etiquette for a concert

• Attend a concert or recital

• Listen to variety of genres of music

Young children are naturally inquisitive, if we allow them the time and space to be curious and explore.

Teaching children to observe, take notice of differences, make predictions, and ask questions fosters their natural need to learn. Kindergarten is a perfect time to engage in these activities and nurture skills.

These lists are guidelines. Home educating parents are responsible to oversee the education of their children based on each child’s individual ability. When in question, consult with a professional.

25 Games to Teach Elementary Skills

Games are a daily occurance in our home. They’re fun. They’re engaging. They’re relational and they’re educational. Games are a WIN WIN and a welcomed rescue to table time. Here’s a few we’ve loved, preschool through elementary.

• BINGO (number recognition 1-75)

• Matching/Concentration (similarities and differences, short-term memory, working memory)

• War - with a deck of cards (matching quantity, more than, less than)

• Dominoes (matching similarities, quantity recognition 1-6, counting 1-6)

• Scrabble Junior (letter recognition, introductory phonics, initial consonant sounds, spelling)

• Uncle Wiggly (number recognition 1-100, counting)

• Guess Who? (critical thinking, problem solving)

• Rush Hour Traffic Jam Logic Game (thinking skills by ThinkFun)

• Hi-Ho Cherry-O (early counting, addition and subtraction concepts)

• Barrel of Monkeys (GREAT for motor skills!)

• Busy Bee (thinking skills, addition, an oldie but goodie introduced to us by great-grandma)

• Rivers, Roads, and Rails (thinking skills, another oldie by goodie)

• World and US map floor puzzles (geography)

• Scrabble Sentence Game for Juniors (sentence structure, spelling)

• Scrabble Sentence Cube Game (sentence structure, spelling)

• Learning Resources Pizza Fraction Fun (fractions)

• Oreo Matching Middles (shape matching)

• Hopscotch (great for motor skills)

• Simon Says (listening and following directions)

• Checkers (thinking skills)

• Hail to the Chief (history)

• RACK-O (counting 1-60, more than, less than)

• Yahtzee (quantity recognition, addition, multiplication)

• Even Steven’s Odd (counting, sequencing, number patterns, addition, and multiplication)

• Somebody Game (human body game)

20 Questions to Check Reading Comprehension Without Paper and Pencil

Question this week—

My child is devouring books. How can I make sure he or she is comprehending what is being read?

Children are like us.

They want someone to take interest and engage in what they are doing, whether they are learning to ride a two-wheeled bike or cheering on their teammates. The same is true when they’re reading a book. There’s something to be noticed, something to learn, something to communicate—it could be the details of the book, or it may be how the reader is feeling or what the book is teaching as it is read. This is reading comprehension.

Reading comprehension can be evaluated in several ways. Most often. people think of reading comprehension as a worksheet of multiple choice questions or a short essay test. For others, it may be a culminating activity to celebrate the completion of the last chapter. However, there’s another option. The reader might want to talk to someone about what’s being read. Often this is the favorite means of determining what level of comprehension is being achieved. It's what I call relational reading comprehension. This method focuses on the reader and the unique perspective or value he or she gained from the selection. These aspects of comprehension are often the most valuable takeaways, yet are the least likely to be sought out.

This method of reading comprehension—a discussion—is more beneficial than most paper and pencil activities.

Here are 20 questions (and a few activities) you can use to check the reading comprehension, orally. Not all these questions will be needed for every book or every reader. Choose the ones you feel are most appropriate for the reading and the reader. The bonus is the child feels like what he or she is doing is important. That matters.

Questions

Where and when does this story take place?

Who is the main character of the book?

Are there any other characters or signifcant figures?

How did the main character relate to the characters?

Does the author help the reader get to “know” the characters? How does he or she accomplish this?

What problem is the main character trying to solve?

How did the main character handle his or her conflict?

What decisions did the main character have to make?

Would you make the same decision? Why or why not?

What do you admire about the main character?

Would you agree with the choices the main character made? Why or why not?

Who is the antagonist?

Does the plot move slowly or quickly?

What keeps you engaged in the plot?

This book you are reading is really interesting. Thank you for telling me about it since I don’t have time to read it. What happened in the plot today?

Were you able to predict how the chapter would end?

Did you learn anything new from this chapter/book?

If you were to recommend this book to a friend, what would you say?

What would you say was the author’s purpose in writing this book?

How would you compare this book with others you read?

Activities

Talk about who the main character is and the decisions he or she has to make.

Draw a picture of the main character, or other character of interest.

Draw a picture of a scene in the book.

Create a new cover for the book.

Write a different ending to the book.

Make a diorama of a scene from the story.

Reading comprehension is important, but the deepening of a relationship is even more important. Sometimes it is easy for us to be hyper-focused on the task or outcomes that we forget there are people involved in the learning process. Our children matter—how they process, what they think, how they internalize what they are learning, and who they are becoming. Reading comprehension is an important skill, no doubt, but let’s not forget the individual processing what’s being read.

Years ago, about eight years into homeschooling, I was doing what I thought to be the “school” thing with comprehension. In addition, I was taking vocabulary and spelling from the content. All effective. All necessary. But with EVERY book? In the midst of “school” that day, my learner looked at me, inquisitive yet with a partial frown. “Do we have to dissect EVERY book I read? I really just want to read this for my enjoyment and not have to stop at every chapter or look up every word.” Genius! I was implementing good educational ideas but destroying the enjoyment of reading. Hmmm? Those words have resonated in my mind to this day, eighteen years later.

There’s balance. Everything is learning, not everything has to be “school”. And, there’s a person in the midst of it all—a person with hopes, interests, and curiosity. I want that person to thrive, not just process through the hoops of evaluative measures.

Our Eric Carle Unit Study

(An elementary level, week-long, study with Eric Carle’s beloved picture books.)

Eric Carle, a talented author/illustrator, inspires young readers with his bold illustrations and teachable content. Our youngest children (preschool to fifth grade) enjoyed a week-long study of Eric Carle’s works. By the end of the week, each child proudly displayed her book of Eric Carle art which was bound with a strip of fabric.

On the first day we re-read The Very Hungry Caterpillar, discussed the life cycle of a butterfly and created our own tissue paper collage caterpillar. We ordered planted plants which attract butterflies and watched a biographical video entitled Eric Carle, Picture Writer. Our children loved learning about the man and story behind the stories. 

On the second day we read The Very Busy Spider and discussed the benefits of hard work. Our preschooler made the sounds of the animals in the book and our elementary children discussed the differences between spiders and insects. We all marveled at the raised web on each page of this engaging picture book. At the suggestion of one of learners, we headed outside to look for webs and spiders. While walking, I remembered I had plastic spider counters. We made and added sets. The older learners made arrays—rows and columns (enter multiplication concept). When it came time to make our own spider art, the fifth grader remembered we had silver glitter glue in the art cabinet, which in her opinion, would make the perfect web. The younger children agreed and soon four very busy spiders were created.

On the third day we read The Grouchy Ladybug. We discussed good and bad attitudes, friendship, manners and the power of the spoken word. Our first grader had a quick review of telling time to the hour, with the help of the clock on each page of Eric Carle's book. Older children found the life cycle of the ladybug fascinating. We Googled ladybugs and watched a few informative video clips. Finally, we made our own ladybugs with wings which opened (thanks to a brass fastener) to reveal the words "thank you".  Google eyes brought life to the ladybug.

On the fourth day we read Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me.  We talked about the phases of the moon and were determined to watch the moon for a whole month to observe the phases. For the young ones, we discussed the difference between fiction and non-fiction. We concluded that the book was fiction because a ladder would never reach the moon. We then compared the illustrations of the books Eric Carle created designed our own fold-out ladder page for our book. Later that evening we read Mister Seahorse, discussed the sea life featured in the book and the important role parents play in the lives of their children. We marveled at the way the male seahorse cares for his young. One learner wanted to make tissue paper seahorses like the ones in the book. A great idea! We used scraps of tissue paper from the previous days to create very colorful and unique tissue paper seahorse.

On the fifth day we wrote a title on the book cover of our art masterpieces (hello copy work, spelling and an explanation of capitalization in titles) and bound our book by weaving a scrap of fabric through three paper-punched holes. The littlest learners enjoyed making paper plate jellyfish to hang from the doorway and hearing me read A House for Hermit Crab.

Our week didn’t end there! Learning continued. After analyzing and comparing the art of Eric Carle to the work of other artists, we headed back to the library where our youngest ones selected more Eric Carle titles. Our four year old warmly stated, "Eric Carle is my favorite illustrator." Several weeks later, while on yet another visit to the library, I received another welcomed surprise. I mentioned I needed Mister Seahorse for a workshop I was presenting to moms in our homeschooling community. When the library volunteer asked, "Who is the author?" our six year old chimed in, "Eric Carle." YES!

Just what I had hoped...and more!  In addition to the academics we learned and retained, the curiosity and creativity of our four budding artists was fostered.

Our week had been productive, and FUN!

Read Aloud Time: To Schedule or Not to Schedule

A woman walked toward my booth with an inquisitive look on her face. I knew she had a question.

“I just heard I should schedule read-aloud time. Is that how you’ve done it?”

In some seasons, yes. One particular year of our homeschooling journey, starting our morning with a good picture book fueled our day. The kids could consistently count on me gathering the troops in the living room right after breakfast before the oldest learners sat with me for math. Scheduling read-aloud together time was perfect for that season. It brought us together and grew us closer in a time when we could have been disjointed.

In another part of our educational adventure, when littles had tired eyes and pouty faces (like after lunch when tummies were full and bodies needed rest) I knew scheduling a quiet time of hearing my voice read a favorite story (or a new library treasure) would be just the right remedy. And so, I scheduled.

In other parts of our years together, I didn’t schedule reading aloud. Instead, we read when needed, you know those moments when attitudes flare and tears flow for no apparent reason. That’s when gathering on the couch invited calm. To those times, one little may bring a valued comfort read, perhaps Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton while another learner would contribute a non-fiction book of interest. No schedule meant the most freedom for our family while also allowing us to learn about one another’s needs.

Seasons vary from one family to another. Given such, the answer to the if-and-when question of scheduling read-aloud time isn’t a pat answer. Each family can decide which works best for its members.

Should your family schedule time to gather for a stack of good reads?

Only YOU can determine the answer to that question. If you are not sure, try starting with reading consistently during one part of the day, maybe right after dinner or after teeth are brushed for the evening. See how it goes. If it’s not working, try another time. And, if you are one of those parents keeping a pulse of the home environment, read when you feel the need. We parents have the ability to determine the best times for reading aloud to our families.

Remember, you and I are on a learning adventure, each path unique, each path full of possibilities.

What is a Picture Book?

A picture book is a work which combines literary eloquence with artistic merit--words and illustrations--working together to tell a story. Generally, picture books are written with 200-800 words (depending on the age of the targeted audience) on 28-32 pages. Historically, picture books have been written to the preschool through mid-elementary audience, yet these masterfully crafted gems speak to the hearts of readers of all ages. 

Wordless picture books. A wordless picture book is just that, a book without words. The illustrations alone tell the story, unless, of course, the person holding the book chooses to imagine and craft the text. One of the Bastian's favorite wordless picture books is Jerry Pinkney's extraordinary The Lion and the Mouse, a retelling of Aesop's classic tale. This treasure won the 2010 Caldecott Medal for its illustrative excellence. 

If your younger readers enjoy visual storytelling or prefer to create their own storylines based on provided illustrations, these wordless picture books may add some spark to your morning read-aloud time. 

• Briggs, Raymond, The Snowman

• Spier, Peter, Noah's Ark

• Spier, Peter, Rain

Concept picture books. Little learners devour information, especially if content is presented with a twist of fun or catchy repetitive phrases and rhythmic rhyme. With this engaging, low-stress presentation, picture books can teach age-appropriate concepts (colors, numbers, opposites, and letters) to eager, curious littles. 

Children ages 2-8 enjoy learning concepts through topics of interest, for example, cowboys, insects, or construction vehicles. Concept picture books make this possible and do so through relaxing moments with resources which foster both early learning and literacy.

• Alakija, Polly, Counting Chickens

• Carle, Eric, 10 Rubber Ducks

• Demarest, Chris, The Cowboy ABC

• Demarest, Chris, Firefighter A to Z

• Emberley, Barbara, Drummer Hoff

• Krull, Kathleen, M is for Music

• Laroche, Giles, If You Lived Here: Houses of the World

• McMillan, Bruce, Jelly Beans for Sale

• Pallotta, Jerry, The Icky Bug Alphabet Book

• Schnur, Steven, Spring: An Alphabet Acrostic

• Wadsworth, Olive A., Over in the Meadow: A Counting Rhyme

Traditional picture books. I remember the librarian reading Blueberries for Sal as I sat imagining the smell of fresh muffins cooling in the kitchen. Through the unfolding plot of the the book, I could feel the fear Sal felt as she wandered off in the field and could no longer see her mom. Sal became my friend. I hoped she would find her mom, cheered her on as she met a mama bear. This is just one of the classics I associate with read-aloud time and school library visits. As a young mom, I couldn't wait to introduce my children to my literary pal, Sal.

Traditional picture books invite readers into the story, into the lives of the characters. While reading, listeners develop empathy and understanding of others' feelings and circumstances, almost without knowing the transformation is taking place. For this reason, picture books become a child's first experience with the power of story. Together as a family, we've jumped into the plots of Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey, Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens, and Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina.

Should you be a time and life season where you are building your home library, here are some must-have picture books to brighten up your shelves. 

• Ackerman, Karen, Song and Dance Man

• Brett, Jan, Town Mouse and Country Mouse

• Brown, Marcia, Stone Soup

• Burton, Virginia Lee, Katy and the Big Snow

• Burton, Virginia Lee, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

• Burton, Virginia Lee, The Little House

• Cooney, Barbara, Miss Rumphius

• Estes, Eleanor, The Hundred Dresses

• Galdone, Paul, The Gingerbread Boy

• Gramatky, Hardie, Little Toot

• Hoban, Russell and Lillian, Bread and Jam for Frances

• Keats, Ezra Jack, The Snowy Day

• Keats, Ezra Jack, Whistle for Willie

• Krauss, Ruth, The Carrot Seed

• LaMarche, Jim, The Raft

• McCloskey, Robert, Lentil

• Newberry, Clare Turlay, Barkis

• Swift, Hildegarde, The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge

• Ward, Helen, Unwitting Wisdom: An Anthology of Aesop’s Fables

• Ward, Lynd, The Biggest Bear

• Yolan, Jane, Owl Moon

Biographical picture books. Our older picture book readers (which includes mom!) enjoy reading about real people who solve real problems. With biographical picture books, young readers don't have to wait until they can read chapter books to read about and meet some of the world's most significant history changers. Our favorites have included

• Dooling, Michael, Young Thomas Edison

• Moses, Will, Mary and Her Little Lamb

• Martin, Jacqueline Briggs, Snowflake Bentley

“Every child ought to know the pleasure of words so well chosen that they awaken sensibility, great emotions, and understanding of truth. ”

— Gladys Hunt, Honey for a Child’s Heart, Zondervan, 2002, p. 18

What is a picture book?

A picture book invites readers into learning and into the stories of others, gently, peacefully, and purposefully. There will be pondering. There will be wonder. There will heart-changing impact, sometimes so subtly it will go unnoticed for a bit of time. 

Some of our most treasured family read-aloud moments and discussions have come from the pages we've turned together. With each book selected, read, placed on our shelves, and the read again, a legacy formed. That legacy is sweet, precious, unique to our family, as it will be yours. That story legacy is a gift, a gift which will continue to span generations. It is just one benefit of keeping learning real and relational. 

Every. Moment. Matters. 

I recently presented Picture Book Treasures at the 2018 FPEA Convention. If you would like more information on picture books and building a home library, the MP3 can be purchased in the FPEA store. 

REAL-LIFE Spelling

I had a hard time spelling when I was a child. It was hard. Red marks plagued my weekly tests. 

Though I understand the reasoning behind word families and traditional methods--I learned the pedagogy as an educator--I've been reminded that theory and practice are not always instant friends. Like any teaching means or method, nothing works for every child. 

It didn't work for me. It hasn't worked for all my children. 

Several of my children and I learned to spell by seeing correctly spelled words--and using the correctly spelled words in written context--over and over.

In other words,

repetition in real-life context returned the greatest retention. 

Perhaps you have a child who learns best by experiencing the written word in real life, in context in the environment.This post is for YOU! 

Yesterday as I prepared to visit the grocery store, a young learner asked to make my shopping list. I accepted the offer. She made the list and later spelled a few several times in her spelling book. The list provided access and practice to high-frequency (used often), real-life words, words which would be used over and over in her lifetime. The result? Spelling for the day. And, it mattered. 

Learning wasn't just a list, it was life! 

Today my daughter asked for more grocery words. I stopped what I was doing and quickly looked for a grocery ad to help us develop a list of words she thought were important. Her perception of what words mattered or would be helpful to her later in life fueled her desire to learn. Ultimately, she realized the words would one day help her make lists for shopping visits and the correct spelling would be important. She had taken ownership of her learning. 

A desire to help + real-life need = learning with purpose

Grocery words may not interest your child. Instead, words of interest may be might be tied to simple machines, clothing, computers, or art. Start with an interest to discover learning with purpose. 

If food words are of interest to your learner, here's a leveled list we created. 

Grocery spelling for beginning spellers

• pie
• tea
• bag
• pea
• ham
• nuts
• can
• corn
• apple
• fish
• leek
• beef
• beet
• salt
• ice
• rice
• pork
• meat
• milk
• beans
• pita
• cake
• roll
• egg
• oil
• dip

Grocery spelling for intermediate spellers

• blueberry
• strawberry
• banana
• pumpkin
• ketchup
• sushi
• fruit
• water
• yogurt
• celery
• peanut
• dairy
• butter
• cream
• juice
• sauce
• pasta
• grain
• cereal
• olive
• carrot
• apple
• squash
• grapes
• orange
• juice
• lemon
• pepper
• coffee
• muffin
• cookie
• cheese
• bacon
• steak
• roast
• mango
• salad
• lettuce
• crackers
• onion
• pudding
• pizza
• biscuit
• turkey
• chicken
• lentil

Grocery spelling for advanced spellers

• fillet
• burrito
• lasagna
• mushroom
• cucumber
• pierogi
• detergent
• charcoal
• sandwich
• pastry
• salami
• cheesecake
• mozzarella
• grapefruit
• asparagus
• raspberry, raspberries
• avocado
• pineapple
• potato, potatoes
• tomato, potatoes
• broccoli
• sausage
• salmon
• tilapia
• shrimp
• tenderloin
• margarine
• edamame
• vegetables
• batteries
• sirloin
• bakery
• expresso

Extended Learning

• Use a weekly grocery ad to make a list of foods needed for three meals a day, for seven days. 
• Write words on index cards. Choose ten of greatest interest and copy those on a white or chalkboard, twice a day. Younger learners may enjoy writing the words with chalk on the driveway or with a finger in a sand tray. 
• Make a word search. There are word search generators online. 
• Play grocery Scrabble. Only food or grocery words are eligible for play and the weekly grocery ad may be used during play. 
• Take a behind the scenes tour of your local grocery store. 
• Take a factory tour of a milk product processing plant near you. Our local grocery store has a processing plant an hour and a half from our home. It is amazing! 
• Visit a U-Pick farm. 

Read Grocery-Related Picture and Non-Fiction Books

Hearing grocery-related words spoken and used in context--builds knowledge of vocabulary and sentence structure as well as provides a means by which math, science, and history content can be gained in a relaxed setting. Hearing content in context often keeps curiosity engaged and wonder active. 

• Milk: From Cow to Carton, Aliki
• From Milk to Cheese, Roberta Basel
• From Tomato to Ketchup, Roberta Basel
• Eating the Alphabet, Lois Ehlert
• Growing Vegetable Soup, Lois Ehlert
• The Fruits We Eat, Gail Gibbons
• The Milk Makers, Gail Gibbons
• The Vegetables We Eat, Gail Gibbons
• From Seed to Plant, Gail Gibbons
• Bread and Jam for Frances, Russell Hoban
• Blueberries for Sal, Robert McCloskey
• The Vegetable Alphabet Book, Jerry Pallotta 
• Tops and Bottoms, Janet Stevens

If the interest in everyday food words grows to an interest in farming, check out this post on our favorite farm books! 

Spelling can be real, relational, and intentional.

It matters! 

Our FAVORITE Farm Picture Books

This year marks more than 30 years of working with little learners; 27 of those years watching our little learners grow and learn daily in our home (yes, we still have some little learners!). 

I watch the wonder in their eyes and listen to the curiosity in their questions.

Along the way, I've come to understand that young children have innate interests--many of them! One of those interests is animals; all animals, big and small. Couple a young child's natural curiosities with inviting picture books and non-fiction reads and you have the makings of a learning frenzy!

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I am sure you have watched your children--or those you work with--choose books off a shelf. First one, then another.

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Reflecting on my years of watching children gather farm books--a combination of treasures they've found in the local library and our home collection--here are the books chosen most often. 

Fiction

• Big Red Hen, Keith Baker

• The Big Red Barn, Margaret Wise Brown

• Rooster's Off to See the World, Eric Carle

• The Tiny Seed, Eric Carle

• The Very Busy Spider, Eric Carle

• Growing Vegetable Soup, Lois Ehlert

• Market Day: A Story Told with Folk Art, Lois Ehlert

• The Little Red Hen, Paul Galdone

• Barn Dance, Pat Hutchins

• The Carrot Seed, Ruth Krauss

• Barn Dance, Bill Martin, Jr.

• The Turnip, Pierr Morgan

• The Little Red Hen, Jerry Pinkney

• Tops and Bottoms, Janet Stevens

• The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza, Philemon Sturges

• Winter on the Farm (Little House Picture Book), Laura Ingalls Wilder

Non-Fiction

• Milk: From Cow to Carton, Aliki

• From Grass to Milk, Stacy Taus-Bolstad

• Food from Farms, Nancy Dickman

• Jobs on a Farm, Nancy Dickman

• Cows: Watch Them Grow, Lauren Diemer

• Chickens Aren't the Only Ones, Ruth Keller

• Chicks and Chickens, Gail Gibbons

• Farming, Gail Gibbons

• From Seed to Plant, Gail Gibbons

• Horses, Gail Gibbons

• Milk Makers, Gail Gibbons

• Pigs, Gail Gibbons

• Chickens, Julie Lungren

• From Kernel to Corn, Robin Nelson

• One Bean, Anne Rockwell

• Chicken, David M. Schwartz

• Plant Stems and Roots, David M. Schwartz

• Where Do Chicks Come From?, Amy E. Sklansky

Do you have multiple children at multiple ages, preschool through elementary? We do, too!

One of our favorite family read-aloud treasures is the timeless classic Charlotte's Web by E. B. White. Pop some popcorn or serve some hot chocolate and enjoy listening together as Mom or Dad reads. 

Reading aloud is intentional, real, and relational. It matters!

Preschooling, Intentionally

Life is learning. Learning and life go hand-in-hand, everyday!

Learning is the natural outcome of everyday living, especially for little learners. With a few intentional questions here and a purposeful explanation there, preschoolers can learn naturally from walking alongside older siblings and significant adults. Through everyday experiences, preschoolers gain a jump start to mastering foundational cognitive, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual life skills.  By the time the young learner blows out six candles on the birthday cake, significant progress toward mastery of foundational skills has likely been made.

Math

• Identify colors
• Understand and demonstrate one-to-one correspondence
• Make sets of 1 to 5 objects
• Identify sets of 1 to 5 objects
• Associate a number with a set of objects
• Recognize numerals 1 to 10
• Recognize and draw simple shapes--circle, square, rectangle, and triangle
• Count to 20 orally
• Recognize similarities and differences in objects (Comparison is a foundational pre-number skill.)
• Recognize and identify coins (This is an easy one. I haven't met a little learner who isn't interested in how much money is in his or her piggy bank. Capitalize on this interest by sorting, counting, and identifying.)
• Identify tools of measure (Tools of measure include thermometers, speedometers, scales, Knowing the purpose of each is important to later math skills.)

Language

• Recite the alphabet (Why not sing the alphabet song while jumping up and down.)
• Recognize letters
• Recognize similarities and difference in letter formation
• Recognize similarities and differences in sounds
• Speak in complex sentences
• Hold a book and track from left to right (One of the best natural ways to learn this skill is by modeling others, doing as they do. As you read aloud, trace a finger under the words, working from left to right, top to bottom.) 
• Retell a story (This is a foundational skill for reading comprehension and vital for auditory processing.)
• Follow a two-step direction
• Hold a pencil with correct grip
• Write lower and upper case letters (There are so many ways to learn letter formation. Some of our favorites are writing in shaving cream on a bathroom wall while taking a bath, finger painting on easel paper, forming letters in a salt tray, and writing with a stick in the mud. 
• Spell first name
• Recognize cause and effect (Offering explanations if every day cause and effect will help your little learner do the same. If we leave the door open, kitty will run out. If we put all the cold groceries together they will help each other stay cold until we get home.)

Science

• Recite phone number and address (This is a safety life skill. While learning this information we explain to our children why they may need it: emergency, calling 911.)
• Name basic colors
• Identify living and non-living
• Identify parts of a plant: roots, stem, leaf, flower, pedal
• Make simple predictions
• Develop observation skills
• Form questions and find solutions

Social Sciences

• Order daily activities
• Locate home state on a United States map
• State the significance of and the similarities and differences between people who work in the community: police, firefighters, librarians, grocers, etc.
• Learn left, right, straight, and diagonal (When entering your neighborhood, speak the directions as you drive. For example, we turn right at the stop sign. We will turn left at the corner, and so on. Once you have repeated these directions several times going in and out of the community, ask your child to tell you how to get home using left and right.)
• Identify basic geographical formations: river, mountain, cliff, ocean, and continent

Physical

• Draw a person with a recognizable body
• Use utensils properly
• Catch a ball
• Kick a ball
• Run
• Gallop
• Skip
• Use a scissors (Providing a cutting box, old magazines, or newspaper ads for cutting along lines and curves.)
• Identify body parts. (Play Simon Says. Simon says touch your nose. Simon says touch your elbow.)
• Walk a balance beam (Okay, so most of us don't have balance beams in our homes. However, there are curbs and lines to walk. See a line, seize the moment and walk, carefully as a tight rope walker does.)
• Dress and undress
• Personal responsibility (Taking care of oneself and the areas in which he or she works and plays. Tidy up the toy room. Use a tooth brushing chart to encourage consistent care.)

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In the early years, our homes provide a place--a haven--where our children can gain a foundation for future cognitive, physical, emotional, mental, relational, and spiritual health.

SIMPLE Paragraph Writing for Little Learners

Paragraph writing can be intimidating, especially for little learners just beginning the writing journey. 

Over twenty-eight years I have tried numerous ways to teach paragraph writing. Depending on the learning style and motivation, some methods have been more successful than others.

What have we used?

Our recent success involved colors and glue. Yes, the creative, crafty, visual learner.

First, said learner narrated her paragraph to me. She spoke, I wrote. The paragraph was of interest, her topic choice. In fact, it was her idea.

The most important initial step toward writing success: the content must be intriguing, something that matters to the learner. 

After she narrated her paragraph and I wrote the words neatly on lined paper, we discussed what a sentence was and why each sentence was important to the paragraph. The first sentence pulls the reader in, the last sentence wraps up or concludes. We also discussed punctuation.

I drew a black line after each sentence, a stop sign.

She selected construction paper; the number of colors dependent on the number of sentences.

The next step of her writing was to write one sentence on each color. After writing each sentence, she placed the sentences in paragraph order. This step was important as one of the sentences was better placed toward the end of the paragraph. With one sentence per color we could easily change the order of the sentences.

Once sentence order was finalized, she glued the edges. Done! She reread her paragraph and then proudly displayed on Dad's side of the table, waiting for him to arrive home from work.

Success! She walked away confident about the process and eager to share learning with others.

Intentional Cursive Handwriting

Eight weeks of summer home education evaluations leave me pondering.

Methods and means.

Current trends.

Proven practices.

Preparing our children for the future. What skills will they need? Thoughts today revolve around penmanship and cursive.

All those practice books.

Oh yes, there is good reason to teach penmanship and cursive, teaching correct strokes and rotations. Proper letter formation does make composition easier. However, once initial instruction is complete and letters are formed properly, practice begins. Practice.

Purposeful cursive allow for greater retention, practically and naturally.

All those practice pages? Maybe, since progress can be seen if a person thumbs through pages, first practice page to the last. But could there  be another way? Another means? 

Seeing books full of practice pages was helpful to us and to the learners. There was completion and progress. However, there was a missing element to learning.

Quite honestly most of the children who completed the work were less than excited about their accomplishments. Sadly, some learners didn't even care about their work. It was pushed aside or tossed back in the crate with other books. Further, most learners hadn't even considered their ability to write with purpose, compose. Handwriting was just another thing to do, complete. 

Handwriting can be valued;

something of purpose, useful. 

Then there were other learners. These learners pulled out papers that were important to them: a creative writing piece, a business plan, a data report from a science project (which included very delicate drawings), a list of important goals.

These papers mattered, and they were completed in cursive! 

The purpose of this post is not to argue whether or not cursive (the mechanics of it) is important or if it has proper place in a school day. Of course learners need proper instruction in strokes and formation. They will be more efficient writers if they choose to keep working in cursive. 

However, once strokes and formation are known, practice and purpose may look different. In fact, productivity--not to mention attitude--will be effected.

Looking for fun, productive means to practice cursive? 

• Paper checks. Have any old ones resting in a box collecting dust? Pull them out. Hand them to a learner and watch fascination drive learning. First, there will be a discussion of what they are, what they are used for, where the money comes from, and how they are becoming obsolete. Then, there will be instant need to use them! Play store, restaurant, shop and more, while practicing handwriting. To encourage their play, I write related vocabulary on the white board: check, date, total, receipt, cashier, pay, cash. I add number words as well as dollars, hundred, thousand. Then, my children have the words needed to play and to write their checks (spelling!). They play, practice, and enjoy using their best handwriting because it mattered to them. Checks were something of value. The written checks from play time became part of a portfolio of work samples. 

• Grocery lists. Children love to dream about what they would like to buy at the grocery store. Let them dream in lists! Using a sale ad from a local store, I allow my children make a grocery list, either in manuscript or cursive, their choice. The next day I make the project more applicable to life. Children worked together to combine their lists and create a nutritionally sound family meal plan on a budget. Not only do we practice handwriting, but we discuss lessons in health and math. There is intentional purpose. The list and meal plan are added to the portfolio of work samples. 
• Plan an in-state vacation. Use a state map. With the help of the map, I ask my child to plan a vacation to visit 6 cities, 1 lake, and 1 river in our state. The names of the places (capitalized proper nouns) are written in the spelling notebook or on a white board. Handwriting (and capitalization) is practiced while considering state geography. To add math, the learner can use the scale of mile to add and find an estimate of the total mileage to be traveled.
• Plan a European (or other location) vacation. As above, the learner plans a vacation to include visits to 1 mountain, 2 rivers, 2 lakes, 5 cities, and 2 countries. 
• Create a menu. The menu should be complete with prices (writing decimal numbers). Using play coins, an adding machine or pretend cash register, learners can play restaurant. I remind the learners that handwriting should be the best it can be so customers can read and order. 
• Copy a recipe. This is a great practical handwriting for a budding chef. The best handwriting will help the recipe be read by others, if necessary.
• Write a poem. Poetry writers will appreciate this intentional, practical suggestion. Some families we know use poetry or verse for handwriting and copy work. 
• Create purposeful lists. Learners have interests. One of my elementary learners is creating handcrafted jewelry. Making a wish list of supplies, chains, and beads allows her to check off items as she makes purchases. Learners may choose to make a lists of colors, car parts, robotic supplies, hair accessories, and more.   
• Foster creativity. Creatives will welcome using fancy charcoal pencils, felt pens, or quill pens to practice manuscript and cursive. 

In the comments, share ways you have made cursive personal, natural.

We are in this together, helping one another to be intentional, real, and relational. 

SIMPLE Prepositions for Little Learners

"Mom, what is a preposition?"

A great question to start the day. Impromptu language arts lesson.

Curious minds are ripe for learning!

A preposition is a word that connects or shows the relationship between two nouns or a noun and pronoun. Prepositions are always with an object or person.

We reviewed nouns and pronouns. Then, I gave examples of each and used them in a sentence.

Together, my little learners and I looked around the room and chose two nouns for our preposition play, mice and cars.

Paper mice were made from 3x5 cards, each child coloring a mouse family. I found some Duplo cars from our collection of blocks.

Once all the mice were colored and decorated, tails in place, our preposition discovery began.

For our play we would act out sentences, stating the relationship between the mice and the cars. I demonstrated by placing the mice on the cars while stating,"The mice are on the cars." I wrote "on" on a 3x5 card and placed it near the cars.

Then, I asked each of the child to place their mice in some relation to the cars, stating the position in relation to one another.

The mice are under the cars.

The mice are on the cars.

The mice are aside of the cars.

The mice are behind the cars.

As the children placed the mice and verbally expressed their position, I wrote the preposition on a card. Before long we had a handful of preposition cards. By the end of a few hours, we used our creative thinking, worked on spatial relationships, applied artistic uniqueness, and UNDERSTOOD prepositions and how to use them in sentences.

Int he end, we also had a handful of spelling cards to use for other lessons.

Learning started with a question.

"Mom, what is a preposition?"

SIMPLE.

Click to download your FREE PDF printable!

Sticker Spelling

Our youngest, a budding emergent reader, beginning speller happened upon large sheets of 2-inch peel-off, brightly-colored sticky letters.

A gold mine!

Within 40 minutes she had completed the equivalent of a month's worth of spelling lessons, without tears, without coercion. Best of all, she remembered the words she spelled, days later. A win-win-win situation.

Learning, fun, retention.

That is what I call a productive day!

Spelling Cereal

Two weeks after an incredible "buy one get one free" cereal sale and an impromptu breakfast spelling lesson, Dad was home, watching the young ones while I met a friend for coffee. 

Dad asked the little learners,

"What would you like for breakfast?" 

The four year old promptly answered, 

"Dad, could I have some of that spelling cereal?"

Dad wasn't quite sure whether spelling cereal was a breakfast choice or one of our educational games. 

Upon further questioning, the four year old commanded,

"Dad, just open the pantry."

He did and quickly found out that spelling cereal was indeed a breakfast choice. It was letter-shaped cereal we had used for spelling a few days prior.

When I arrived home, my husband quipped,

"Will you quit having so much fun with the kids!"

I snickered.

It was real and it was relational. It was remembered. 

Fall Spelling Fun

This week my daughter had a wonderful impromptu idea.

"Remember those acorns I collected--all 224 of them? I used them to spell words!"

Brilliant idea.

A subject often relegated to long lists of unrelated words.

I walked to the kitchen to see her masterpieces.

Indeed creative. Indeed reinforcing learning.

After discussion, it was determined that gluing the words to cardboard would make festive Thanksgiving decorations. 

And so goes the day when acorns become spelling practice.

(Just one day after the burstingbaggie of acorns were the place value and counting lesson. Simple, available, and intriguing equal many days and ways of learning.)

Tricky Y Game

"Those tricky Ys! They make all different sounds. They are so confusing!" 

A little learner, quite confused by all the "Y" words on a recent workbook page, voiced her opinion about why "Y" shouldn't have so many sounds. Those tricky "Y" words!

I decided to take learning off the page and put it into her hands. 

And we learned TOGETHER!

I made a list of words ending in "Y" which took on the ending sound of either long e or long i. Then, I created a document which would provide 2 x 3 inch cards when printed on 100 pound card stock (colored card stock made our game more fun). Once printed, little learners used a blunt-ended scissors to cut the words apart. 

Once cards were cut, I designed a pocket Y using two envelopes--one business and one letter. To make the Y, I sealed the envelopes. Then, I trimmed 1/4 inch off the top edge of each envelop to make two pockets. Next, I formed the "Y", gluing the envelopes together and traced around the outside edges with a black permanent marker to make the "Y" more pronounced. Finally, I wrote "long e" on one envelope pocket and "long i" on the other. 

Before we sorted the words according to ending sound, each learner read the words on the cards. We reviewed rhyming words as words that sound the same and sorted the cards in rhyming words piles.

After reading the words, learners took turns choosing a word card from the draw pile, read the word, and placed the word in the correct pocket. Turn taking continued until all words were placed correctly.

This game was a hit!

In fact, this game was requested for several days straight until one of the learners discovered the words could also be used as spelling words. Great idea!

Every learner had either learned or reviewed the Tricky Y concept, sorted rhyming words, and practiced spelling, all from printable cards and two envelopes.

Intentional. Real. Relational. 

Want to play Tricky Y?

A printable set of Tricky Y words can be downloaded on the FREE Resources page. 

State Study with Discover America Series

While sitting around a table this morning with a sweet mom and her precious daughter--discussing their state studies--I remembered one of our favorite resources.

Discover America State by State

Colorful, inviting and plentiful in intriguing content, this fifty-one book series takes young readers on journeys through each state's geographical landscape while also allowing children to become familiar with landmarks, wildlife and culture. Truly each book provides a window from which children can peek into places they may not otherwise visit. 

One day as we were combing the shelves for the state books, our children discovered Sleeping Bear had also published state-themed number books. These, too, quickly became favorites. In fact, when used in conjunction with the State by State books, our studies deepened. 

Visit the Sleeping Bear Press website for more information including a plethora of teacher guides and learner activities. The State by State activities were helpful to us in our studies as were the guides for the state number books. 

As I post this blog, I am with you on this summer journey of fondly remembering the highlights of our year yet looking forward to the learning ahead, just like the mom and sweet daughter we met this morning. 

Perhaps these books will enhance your future learning adventures.